Third Circle of Nellï¿½s

Twenty years of clubbing in an old electronics warehouse on west 14th.

Nell’s (1986–2004)Proprietors: Keith McNally (owner of Odeon), Lynn Wagenknecht
(his then-wife), and Nell Campbell (tap-dancing nymph from
The Rocky Horror Picture Show; on piano, pictured). Nell presided in transparent shirts, performing cabaret acts. She stood at the peephole
and dictated who could enter.Music: Disco into new wave. It turned into a hip-hop club in the nineties. Way In: $5 cover on weeknights; $10 on weekends. A limited number
of $200 black membership key rings were available.Crowd: Prince, Bono, Warren Beatty, and Calvin Klein were regulars. Design: Modeled to look like a glitzy, old-time gentleman’s club.Scandals: In 1993, Tupac Shakur was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at his hotel after she orally pleasured him on Nell’s dance floor.

NA (2004–2005)Proprietors: Noel Ashman and celebs including Chris Noth,
Damon Dash, and David Wells. The fast-talking Ashman, a clubgoer
since he was 13, used to hit Nell’s “five nights a week.” Music: Resident D.J. Mark Ronson spun hip-hop, pop, and rock.Way In: Membership was $1,086.25. Members were allowed
to sail past the line. Cover for line-waiters: $25. Crowd: A-meets-B celebs. David Blaine, Ivanka Trump, Vincent Gallo, Mischa Barton, Carson Daly, and Sean “Diddy” Combs.Design: Leafy plants, chandeliers. Scandals: NA closed last summer after a public power
struggle between Ashman and two junior investors turned nasty.

The Plumm (Opens later this month)Proprietors: Noel Ashman returns! Michael Ault, owner
of Spy Bar, Pangaea, and Chaos, gets in on the game too.Music: Rock. Way In: No cover! Semi-private membership list, like NA,
but without a fee. “My ideal mix would be an underground kid
from Williamsburg, some models, a few European
aristocrats, socialites, and a hip-hop mogul or two,” says Ashman.Crowd: TBD. Design: Lots of, um, plum-colored things.Scandals: Check back after it opens.